Category Archive

A newly released study published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics finds no evidence to support concerns about large indirect land use change effect of corn ethanol causing expansion in cropland and reduction in grasslands and forests. Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) members Madhu Khanna and Yijia Li from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Ruiqing Miao …

It is undisputed that the amount of land dedicated to crop production overall in the United States has been on the decline for decades, dropping 12 percent just between 1997 and 2012, according to USDA census data. At the same time, corn acreage and ethanol production have increased significantly, which is also undisputed. What is disputed is whether increased ethanol …

A new study has looked at how converting land to grow biofuel crops impacts greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers at the DOE Argonne National Laboratory found that in the past analyses only looked at the changes in the amount of carbon stored in the soil and vegetation of these converted lands that were previously forests, grasslands or pastureland. So the research …

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hosted an alternative fuels workshop in Macon, Georgia this week that reviewed the sustainability of feedstocks, such as soybean oil, used when producing biodiesel or biojet fuel. During the event, Purdue University Professor Wally Tyner presented the latest findings from a team research project (funded by the James and Louis Ackerman endowment) focused on …

A report from the Coordinating Research Council, (CRC) adds to the growing body of research that demonstrates biodiesel’s role as a low carbon fuel. Two of the report’s key conclusions find that carbon emissions from biofuels are declining relative to petroleum, and confidence in these results continue to grow as more research is released. According to the National Biodiesel Board …

California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is reaching its halfway point and a new analysis from the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) find that grain-based ethanol has provided nearly half of the greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions achieved under the first five years of the program. Seven years ago, on April 23rd, California Air Resources Board (CARB) formally adopted the LCFS, and …

Earlier this month the European Commission released its new report, “The land use change impact of biofuels consumed in the EU,” (GLOBIOM). The study assessed the (indirect) land use change (LUC) impacts of biofuels demand expected as a result of Europe’s 2020 climate and energy policy. According to the European Renewable Ethanol Association (ePURE), the study found that increased demand …

The publicly anti-ethanol organization Smarter Fuel Future has launched a campaign calling on Congress and the administration to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The coalition is backed by Big Oil along with various food, environmental and anti-hunger organizations. In response to the campaign, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Bob Dinneen said: “The oil industry thinks it’s being …

The ethanol industry is displeased with a recent report on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that is not favorable to corn-based ethanol. The report, “10-Year Review of the Renewable Fuels Standard: Impacts to the Environment, The Economy, and Advanced Biofuels Development,” was published by the Agricultural & Resources Economics Department at the University of Tennessee. The report was commissioned by …

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has offered a proposal to include indirect land use change (ILUC) emissions when calculating the carbon intensity of biofuels regulated under the state’s Clean Fuels Program (CFP). The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has expressed disappointment in the proposal that is to take effect on January 1, 2016 and aims for a 10 percent …